Ship Engineers Salary
The median pay for a ship engineers in South Carolina is $97,890/year ($47.06/hour), per BLS data. The range runs from $62K at the entry level to $115K for experienced workers. Cost of living is below average (RPP 93.17), which stretches that salary to about $105,066 in buying power. Rent on a 2-bedroom averages $1,263/month, or 20.4% of estimated take-home pay.
Statewide average. Salary and cost of living vary significantly across South Carolina. Jump to a metro for precise data:
Where the paycheck goes
What $98K actually covers in South Carolina, month by month
About ship engineers
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What this looks like in South Carolina
Pay for ship engineers in South Carolina runs about 11% below the U.S. median of $110K. Housing is manageable: a 2-bedroom at the HUD median costs $1,263/month, 20.9% of take-home, well inside the 30% guideline. Regional Price Parity sits at 93.17 (national = 100), meaning everyday costs run about 7% cheaper here. Your dollar stretches further than the headline salary suggests. Lower pay, lower costs, South Carolina can be a reasonable trade-off for ship engineers who value affordability over top-dollar markets.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, South Carolina
Entry-level ship engineers (10th percentile) start around $62K. Mid-career wages sit at $98K. Top earners bring in $115K or more, a $53K spread from bottom to top.
Ship Engineers salary by metro in South Carolina
1 metro area with BLS data, ranked by median pay
| Metro area | Median salary | vs. state | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Charleston-North Charleston | $98K | +1% | 70 |
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BLS updates this data annually. We'll email you when South Carolina numbers change.
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Quick answers
The stuff people actually ask about this job
Can a ship engineer afford a 2BR apartment alone in South Carolina?
Yes — at the median salary of $98K, rent takes 20.9% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,263/month. That stays under the 30% guideline most financial planners use.
What’s the entry-level salary for ship engineers in South Carolina?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new ship engineers typically earn — is $62K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $4,102/month. At HUD’s $1,263/month FMR, rent would take 31% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.
Is ship engineer a high-paying job in South Carolina?
Local pay runs 11% below the national median — $98K here vs. $110K nationally. Cost of living is 7% below the national average, which narrows that gap in real purchasing power.
How does South Carolina compare to the national average for ship engineers?
South Carolina pays $98K median vs. the U.S. average of $110K — that’s -11%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 93.17), the purchasing-power equivalent is $105K — below the national median.
How much do ship engineers make in South Carolina?
The median is $97,890 a year, that works out to about $47 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $61,610, and experienced ship engineers can clear $114,860. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $98K enough to live in South Carolina?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $6,051/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,263/month, which eats 20.9% of your paycheck. That's under the 30% guideline most financial planners use, so the numbers work.
How far does a ship engineers salary go in South Carolina?
South Carolina has a Regional Price Parity of 93.17 (100 is the national average). That's below average, your money stretches further here than the raw salary number suggests. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median ship engineers salary is worth about $105,066 in national-average purchasing power.
Where do ship engineers get paid the most?
The table above ranks every state by median pay for this role. Keep in mind that the highest-paying states tend to have the highest costs of living, so the top salary doesn't always mean the most money in your pocket.